Field effect display (FED) technology is presently being developed to replace the relatively bulky cathode ray tubes generally utilized in display devices. FED devices typically comprise a microtip structure comprising tiny conical electron emitters. The emitters are made as small as possible, and thousands of them are used to illuminate a single pixel.
A recently developed FED architecture is the so-called surface-conduction-electron (SCE) display. In an SCE display, electrons are emitted from a microfissure in a low work function material, such as diamond or palladium oxide (PdO). The SCE devices typically utilize one microfissure pattern per pixel. The microfissures, which may be only a few angstroms wide, emit electrons upon electrical stimulation.
The emitting structure of an SCE device comprises low work function materials formed within a gap between electrodes. The electrodes are typically adhered to an insulative emitter base, such as, for example, a glass plate. The low work function materials within the gap can be electrically stimulated by charging one or both of the electrodes.
A difficulty in forming SCE devices can be in providing the low work function materials between the electrodes. Presently, the low work function materials are provided by a printing process, wherein the low work function materials are printed into a gap between electrodes with an ink-jet printhead. The materials are then melted, either by heating or by exposure to a high current to form the microfissures within the materials. The above-described printing process requires specialized equipment and precise alignment of a printhead relative to an emitter base. It is desirable to develop other methods for precisely and accurately providing low work function materials within a gap between electrodes. Such other methods will preferably utilize existing equipment to improve the economics of incorporating the methods into fabrication processes.